Deltona rugby club transforms area teenager

Published: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 8:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 9:45 p.m.

DELTONA — Something about Wes Brough's first rugby match suggested this was the sport for him.

"I went to tackle some dude and I busted his eye open. He needed stitches," said Brough, whose name rhymes with rough. "I got three or four assists for scores. I thought, 'If I can do that with these big dudes . . .' "

Brough, a 17-year-old Pine Ridge High School senior, has gone from a complete rugby novice to coaching the Deltona Rugby Club in less than a year. He runs practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at Dewey Boster Park, organizes fundraising efforts and even picks up and drops off teammates in his 1996 Dodge Ram truck.

He says he's found discipline and confidence, and the experience has also dramatically improved his prospects.

"It changed him in a lot of ways," said his mother, Christine Lauby. "He's always had a great head on his shoulders, but now he's more focused on keeping up with his high school grades and being focused on college."

Rugby, developed in England, is one of the world's most popular sports. It's far less popular in the United States than in Australia. But Martin Gardner, youth director of the Florida Rugby Union, calls it the "fastest growing" sport among young people.

"Our growth is limited by (our lack of) coaches, by people who have been in the game but aren't willing to step in and coach a team," Gardner said.

Gardner and others have attempted to help Brough find an adult to help coach, but none has come forward after Kevin Wathen, last year's coach and the team's founder, left the area.

Wathen, who had been a first-year Pine Ridge teacher following a career playing rugby at the University of Central Florida, organized the Deltona team as a way to grow the sport that became his passion. The Deltona club was highly successful in 2012, going 8-0 in the regular season before losing a close overtime match to Miami in the under-19 tournament.

Joe Sullivan, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia-Flagler, helped Wathen as an assistant last year but said Monday he wasn't aware the team had resumed practices. He said he was likely too busy with other responsibilities to take on the role full time, but was interested in meeting with the club.

Sullivan said he butted heads with Brough a couple of times last year.

"He's headstrong," Sullivan said. "If he's leading the thing, maybe it will be good for him. . . . With him taking on the new role, he will learn about leadership and management and humility."

The Deltona club, open to area teens younger than 19, is also trying to form a girls' club.

Juan Ruiz, a 17-year-old Pine Ridge senior and Marine Corps recruit, is playing his first year in rugby for Brough and said he's learning a lot.

"He knows what he is talking about," Ruiz said. "He's not there to be the dictator."

But the team is disciplined enough to immediately drop and do 10 pushups every time someone drops the ball. The entire team does the pushups together.

Sterling Wynn, a student at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, played rugby in Deltona last year and is joining the team when he can this year.

"Wes, he's going to be a good rugby player with a future," Wynn said.

But Gardner has concerns about the situation.

"It's great what they're doing, but it's going to be tough for an 18-year-old to be coaching 17- and 18-year-olds," Gardner said.

Nonetheless, the Deltona club's success last year and Brough's persistence has convinced Gardner to place the team in the upper division of the state league when matches start later this month.

Brough said his experience extended beyond Deltona's season last year. He traveled with an all-star club that went as far as Pittsburgh to play matches last summer.

All the matches and practices built strength on his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame. But the emphasis Wathen and the club put on schoolwork and being respectful to teachers also forced Brough to grow in maturity.

"The first week of school last year I was getting in trouble, hanging out with the wrong crowd," he said. "I was getting into trouble with the cops, trying to fight. . . . I had a bad attitude in school. I didn't care about anything the teachers said."

Rugby changed that, in part because Brough simply feels better about himself.

"I feel accomplished when I play rugby," he said. "People say, 'You're really good.' To hear that from other people really makes me feel like I accomplished something."

<p>DELTONA &mdash; Something about Wes Brough's first rugby match suggested this was the sport for him. </p><p>"I went to tackle some dude and I busted his eye open. He needed stitches," said Brough, whose name rhymes with rough. "I got three or four assists for scores. I thought, 'If I can do that with these big dudes . . .' " </p><p>Brough, a 17-year-old Pine Ridge High School senior, has gone from a complete rugby novice to coaching the Deltona Rugby Club in less than a year. He runs practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at Dewey Boster Park, organizes fundraising efforts and even picks up and drops off teammates in his 1996 Dodge Ram truck. </p><p>He says he's found discipline and confidence, and the experience has also dramatically improved his prospects. </p><p>"It changed him in a lot of ways," said his mother, Christine Lauby. "He's always had a great head on his shoulders, but now he's more focused on keeping up with his high school grades and being focused on college." </p><p>Rugby, developed in England, is one of the world's most popular sports. It's far less popular in the United States than in Australia. But Martin Gardner, youth director of the Florida Rugby Union, calls it the "fastest growing" sport among young people. </p><p>"Our growth is limited by (our lack of) coaches, by people who have been in the game but aren't willing to step in and coach a team," Gardner said.</p><p>Gardner and others have attempted to help Brough find an adult to help coach, but none has come forward after Kevin Wathen, last year's coach and the team's founder, left the area.</p><p>Wathen, who had been a first-year Pine Ridge teacher following a career playing rugby at the University of Central Florida, organized the Deltona team as a way to grow the sport that became his passion. The Deltona club was highly successful in 2012, going 8-0 in the regular season before losing a close overtime match to Miami in the under-19 tournament. </p><p>Joe Sullivan, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia-Flagler, helped Wathen as an assistant last year but said Monday he wasn't aware the team had resumed practices. He said he was likely too busy with other responsibilities to take on the role full time, but was interested in meeting with the club. </p><p>Sullivan said he butted heads with Brough a couple of times last year. </p><p>"He's headstrong," Sullivan said. "If he's leading the thing, maybe it will be good for him. . . . With him taking on the new role, he will learn about leadership and management and humility." </p><p>The Deltona club, open to area teens younger than 19, is also trying to form a girls' club. </p><p>Juan Ruiz, a 17-year-old Pine Ridge senior and Marine Corps recruit, is playing his first year in rugby for Brough and said he's learning a lot. </p><p>"He knows what he is talking about," Ruiz said. "He's not there to be the dictator." </p><p>But the team is disciplined enough to immediately drop and do 10 pushups every time someone drops the ball. The entire team does the pushups together. </p><p>Sterling Wynn, a student at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, played rugby in Deltona last year and is joining the team when he can this year. </p><p>"Wes, he's going to be a good rugby player with a future," Wynn said. </p><p>But Gardner has concerns about the situation. </p><p>"It's great what they're doing, but it's going to be tough for an 18-year-old to be coaching 17- and 18-year-olds," Gardner said. </p><p>Nonetheless, the Deltona club's success last year and Brough's persistence has convinced Gardner to place the team in the upper division of the state league when matches start later this month.</p><p>Brough said his experience extended beyond Deltona's season last year. He traveled with an all-star club that went as far as Pittsburgh to play matches last summer. </p><p>All the matches and practices built strength on his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame. But the emphasis Wathen and the club put on schoolwork and being respectful to teachers also forced Brough to grow in maturity. </p><p>"The first week of school last year I was getting in trouble, hanging out with the wrong crowd," he said. "I was getting into trouble with the cops, trying to fight. . . . I had a bad attitude in school. I didn't care about anything the teachers said." </p><p>Rugby changed that, in part because Brough simply feels better about himself. </p><p>"I feel accomplished when I play rugby," he said. "People say, 'You're really good.' To hear that from other people really makes me feel like I accomplished something."</p>